Statement on the update of Parti Liyani's complaint against police officers

15 February 2022

HOME appreciates yesterday's update by Minister Shanmugam on the outcome of Ms Parti Liyani's complaints about aspects of police investigators' conduct in her case; viz, sanctions imposed on two of the officers.

We welcome greater accountability on the part of the Police with respect to the proper conduct of investigations. Transparent and concrete remedial action of both negligent and deliberate misconduct is a necessary condition for confidence in our law enforcement agencies.

Parti's acquittal has drawn far more attention and scrutiny than most other migrant workers' cases. Many more migrant workers pass unnoticed in the criminal justice system. If these workers feel that they may have been treated unfairly by law enforcement officers, they often do not know how to seek redress, fear such complaints' possible ramifications for their investigations; or may not even be aware complaints of officers' conduct are possible. As Parti said, her speaking out can hopefully effect steps towards more fairness in the criminal justice system.

In that vein, we hope that there is also a forthcoming response to Parti's complaint about a police officer's conduct in court during her trial (see her previous statement, point 1). Parti's complaint was that the officer in question was shaking an allegedly stolen watch before handing it to her on the witness stand, thereby causing the watch to appear functional when it otherwise was not.

HOME urges that for the criminal justice system to function fit for purpose and fairly for all, regardless of their migration status or background, police officers’ conduct throughout every stage of a case, from statement-recording, to the investigation process and to trial, must be held to the highest standards of probity, with transparent accountability and concrete remediation where it falls short.